Publications

PHS Officer's Guide

The second edition of the PHS Officer's Guide is a must-have for all PHS Commissioned Corps officers. Authors CAPT Jim Knoben (Ret.) and CAPT Alice Knoben added a chapter on leadership principles and updated all content. RADM Boris Lushniak wrote, "The Public Health Service Officer's Guide is an excellent reference... (that) provides an opportunity for officers to enhance their knowledge base."

Chapters in the book include: Uniformed Service Essentials, Leadership Principles, Courtesy & Protocol, Ceremony Protocol, Special Duty Positions, Communications, Meetings, Table Protocol, and much more. The appendices include planning for various ceremonies, Dining-Out, formal receptions, and distinguished visitors.

A Century of Adventure in Northern Health

A Century of Adventure in Northern Health: The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in Alaska (1879-1978) was written by CAPT Robert A. Fortuine, USPHS (Ret.). The book was published in 2006 by the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health.

A Century of Adventure in Northern Health is paperback with 162 pages and measures 8.3 x 5.5 inches. It is available from for a retail price of $18.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling.

Make a Gift to the Foundation

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are fully tax-deductible as charitable donations for income tax purposes. Donations are recognized at the annual Public Health Symposium and in the newsletter Frontline.

Become an Author

Do you have a story to share? Did something funny, exciting, sad, or uplifting happen during your time in the Public Health Service? The Foundation would like to publish a book of short stories from the frontlines. Submit your story today by emailing
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. Include your name, rank, mailing address, and phone number.

Foundation E-News

The Foundation publishes a bi-weekly e-newsletter to let you know what's happening with our events, research, and other programs and services. Watch for more information coming soon!

Related Publications

“Sex, Sin and Science: A History of Syphilis in America”

Sex, Sin and Science: A History of Syphilis in America was written by John Parascandola, the retired Public Health Service Historian and a current Trustee of the Commissioned Officers Foundation. Dr. Parascandola's fascinating book traces the history of syphilis in America from Colonial times to the present, as well as providing a background chapter on the origins and spread of syphilis. The important role of the PHS Commissioned Corps is prominently featured throughout his narrative. In his foreword to the book, 17th U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona calls his work "a thoughtful, powerful and revealing treatise...that the general public, historians, politicians, and science can benefit from."

Sex, Sin, and Science is hardcover with 224 pages and measures 6.1 x 9.3 inches. The retail price of the book is $49.95 plus shipping and handling, but the publisher (Praeger) is offering a discount of 20% off the list price to COA members. To learn more about the book and to receive the 20% discount, click the link below and use discount code F238 at checkout.